All Americans should ask themselves how the man responsible for making January 6th 2021 such a dark day in American history not only avoided jail time but was actually elected president a second time by the majority of U.S. voters. America has really lost its way and the last year goes way beyond politics as usual. I write this in hopes that a humbled U.S. will emerge from this psychotic episode better than it was before. However after nearly a year of this mad king and watching how the checks and balances we were so proud of have failed to keep him checked or balanced I’m a bit worried that the darkest days may have yet to come. In the meantime let’s continue trying to break the spell this conman has put on many of our fellow citizens so they realize they’ve been lied to because the swamp Trump promised to drain has only become more toxic and corrupt.
Venezuela
Would the U.S. and the rest of the world be better off if the U.S. kidnapped and incarcerated the President of Venezuela or would the U.S. and the rest of the world be better off if Venezuela kidnapped and incarcerated the president of the U.S.? Members of the House and Senate must work together to get a hold of this reckless and corrupt president who continues to destroy the reputation of the country and if they can’t voters must replace them with people who can.
Trump can’t run a business let alone the U.S. so how is he now supposed to carry out this imperialist oil grab and “run” Venezuela which unlike the U.S. was already a mess before he got there? Even if this works out well for the U.S. and Venezuela at what cost was it to international rules and norms and what precedent does it set? For one it has cost the U.S. just about all credibility to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Mainland China’s preparations to take back Taiwan.
The U.S. is turning a world that had been on its way to a rules based order where bigger stronger countries had to respect the sovereignty of smaller weaker countries and in which disputes were settled through diplomacy and not by unilateral military action into a world where might is right and the only law is the law of the jungle. U.S. voters must stop this march towards a new age of unbridled imperialism where the world is divided into spheres of influence and run by corrupt autocrats.
Despite the terrible precedent this sets I hope the removal of this dictator will turn out well for the people of Venezuela. The U.S. needs to work with Venezuela to hold free and fair elections that the U.S. will accept regardless of the winner and their policies towards U.S. oil and mining companies. As for the natural resources they belong to Venezuela and must be used to benefit the Venezuelan people so the last thing Trump should do is make this look like an imperialist oil grab which is exactly what he’s doing.
Happy Healthy New Year
I hope this year brings more peace and political stability than the last. I also hope that the U.S. will stop behaving like a reckless bully and start acting like a responsible stakeholder. As bad as this administration has been and is for the U.S. and all it’s supposed to stand for, e.g. democracy, human rights, and a fair and impartial judiciary, it’s important to remember that it and its “stable genius” leader is merely a symptom so people shouldn’t fool themselves by thinking that everything will be great once the wannabe king is gone because the actual disease is tribalism and political polarization along with an increasingly corrupt political and campaign finance system and this will be much more difficult to change than a president.
If we’re going to stop this and any future slide towards authoritarianism we need to get more people out of their information bubbles and thinking as independents open to voting for the best candidate regardless of party affiliation. Then we need more to place more limits on presidential power, undo gerrymandering, start ranked choice voting, and elect more independent and third party candidates so there’s a true swing vote in the House and Senate and politics isn’t just a perpetual and increasingly ugly game between the Blue team and the Red team. All this is easier said than done but 2026 is a new year filled with new hope and midterm elections. In the meantime let’s hope the republic and its system of checks and balances will fare well in this stress test as it approaches its 250th birthday.
Paramount Boycott
The right to boycott is as powerful as the right to vote. Just look at the quick reversal Disney did on Kimmel’s firing after so many people canceled their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions last September. The next target of a boycott should be Paramount for the direction they’re taking CBS News and specifically for spiking a 60 Minutes story on CECOT and the U.S. deportees who were unjustly sent there. It’s already been ten days since it was spiked and if Paramount doesn’t want to completely destroy the reputation of CBS News and 60 Minutes it should be aired as soon as possible in order to shed more light on the injustice that has taken place and to help prevent further injustice.
I don’t object to tough prisons for deserving inmates but desperate people looking to escape difficult circumstances, many of which the U.S. itself helped create, that have no criminal record should not be sent to them. Moreover CECOT goes beyond tough prison and into the depraved realm of medieval dungeon and should not even exist in a civilized world. Furthermore most of the people sent to CECOT last March had entered the U.S. legally and many were following the procedures of the previous administration before being wrongfully labeled as “the worst of the worst” by the current administration without any due process and sent off to a hellhole notorious for human rights abuses.
If you think this story shouldn’t have been spiked at the last minute and should be aired on CBS in the U.S. as soon as possible then consider canceling your Paramount+ subscription and tell them why you’re doing so. If CBS News and 60 Minutes isn’t enough of a reason for you know that the new CEO of Paramount David Ellison wants to use some more of his daddy’s money so he can get his hands on Warner Bros. Discovery which owns CNN so if you think CNN is bad now just imagine what it will become if Ellison controlled Paramount gets a hold of it maybe he’ll let Bari Weiss run that one too.
https://support.paramountplus.com/s/article/PI-How-do-I-cancel-my-subscription?language=en_US
No Kings 2
Tomorrow’s rallies aren’t about left, right, or any particular political party they’re about freedom, democracy, and the rule of law vs subjugation, autocracy, and rule by law. If there’s one principle that should unite nearly all Americans it’s that in America we will not tolerate kings, dictators, or anything even remotely like them. Visit the No Kings website to find out where you can join these peaceful protests and show the world that America, while seriously struggling through some dark and divided times, is still a beacon of freedom and hope.
No War With Iran
Not one U.S. tax dollar should be going to a country with a per capita GDP of over $52,000 moreover the U.S. needs to start billing Israel for every missile it helps them shoot down. If Israel knew the U.S. wasn’t an unconditional ally that would save them from the consequences of whatever reckless or immoral actions they took then they’d probably try a little harder to solve their security issues diplomatically rather than with violence.
It was Israel that helped pull the U.S. into an unnecessary and destabilizing war with Iraq and now it’s trying to pull the U.S. into an unnecessary and destabilizing war with Iran and the only chance of stopping it is if U.S. voters, particularly those who voted for Trump, make it clear they want no more unnecessary wars and no more wasteful spending when the country is already so deep in debt and there is so much that needs to be fixed and invested in at home.
Iran isn’t the cause of the many problems facing the U.S. and it’s citizens and joining Israel in the bombing of Iran and attempting another regime change followed by another attempt at nation building certainly isn’t a solution. If you are a U.S. citizen who opposes U.S. involvement in Israeli wars and instead want to see the U.S. help deescalate the situation then contact your representatives and tell them you oppose this Israeli / Netanyahu attempt to pull the U.S. into another war.
No Kings
With all mass protests there will inevitably be people participating that you don’t agree with however if you support what’s officially being protested I hope you consider joining and helping turn Saturday’s news into news about the peaceful anti-authoritarian protests taking place all over the U.S. on June 14th and turn Trump’s birthday party military parade into an embarrassing side note. Visit the No Kings website to find out what these planned peaceful protests are about and where you can join.
Free the Innocent
Since the shameless secretary and this shameless administration won’t do it the people need to demand and keep demanding that their representatives in the Congress and Senate work to ensure that the innocent people who were sent to CECOT are set free as soon as possible. If DOGE and the Trump administration want to cut government spending then tell them to start by not paying El Salvador to jail innocent people like Andry José Hernández Romero.
If you feel that this should not be happening in the U.S. or anywhere for that matter then please take a minute to contact the White House and your elected officials. Thank you for standing up and speaking out against this grave injustice.
End the Blockade
UNICEF 12 May 2025 Risk of famine for children across Gaza
“Families in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border. We can’t get it to them because of the renewed conflict and the total ban on humanitarian aid imposed in early March,” said the UN World Food Programme’s Executive Director Cindy McCain.
This is a crime against humanity and Israel should be sanctioned and boycotted until it stops using food as a weapon. Israel has the right to defend itself but it does not have the right to starve children and massacre a mostly innocent population in an attempt to ethnically cleanse what’s left of Palestine.
Blatant Corruption
As our dishonest, corrupt, and incompetent president prepares to accept a 400 million dollar jet as a gift from Qatar I thought I’d post this talk given by Senator Chris Murphy regarding the blatant corruption of this administration over its first 100 days.
Judging by how furious and vocal all the drain the swamp MAGA warriors are about Nancy Pelosi’s insider trading and Hunter Biden’s corrupt dealings they are going to explode after seeing how Trump and family have taken corruption to a whole new level…
A May Day Mayday
After 100 days of poorly planned and incompetently executed policies from the full pardons of violent insurrectionists, to DOGE cuts, to ICE abductions, to “Liberation Day” and it’s ridiculously determined and rashly implemented tariffs America is having a Mayday moment. Those of us who sincerely care about the country and would like to see it continue working towards the ideals that until recently made it leader of the free world and a beacon of hope for many need to do all we can to show the world that these ideals are still alive and well and that we will not let them and whatever remains of U.S. credibility be destroyed by one severely flawed individual and his cult of personality.
I supported ending DEI policies but now key government positions are being filled with whoever can best flatter and brazenly lie in support of the dear leader who they along with the dear leader himself believes is on a mission from god. The government isn’t being staffed with the most capable and qualified it’s being staffed with the most flattering and loyal and not the most loyal to the country, the constitution, or a set of ideals like freedom of speech and the right to due process but loyal to an insecure man with an overwhelming fear of people ripping him off and laughing at him which he constantly projects onto the country. A country that by most measures was doing pretty good before he took office but not so good 100 days later.
Trump and his minions are removing as many checks on his power as they can and since the Democratic Party has proved itself basically useless and is largely responsible for what is happening we the people need to act. If the Democratic Party hadn’t pandered to woke radicals and allowed massive numbers of unvetted immigrants to pour over the border and allowed transgender people to compete against women and girls in sports and didn’t completely fail in its withdrawal from Afghanistan and hadn’t given Israel a blank check to massacre so many innocent people who had nothing to do with putting Hamas into power we could have avoided this. Instead the war Trump said he’d have settled in one day still rages on and the massacre which Trump said he’d have a ceasefire for before he took office continues.
As for the deportations I know throwing good people into a dungeon will persuade others not to enter the country illegally however this is utterly un-American as America is known for giving people freedom and not for unjustly taking it away. Those mistakenly caught up in a poorly planned drive to catch the worst of the worst must be freed. Maybe they don’t need to come back to the U.S. and at this point they might not even want to but they certainly can’t be locked in a dungeon for the crime of heeding the words written on the Statue of Liberty, seeking to escape violence and persecution, and trying to create a better life for themselves. Now is the time for Americans to drop their party affiliations, come together as independents, and tell ideologues and extremists on the left and right “Not in my country and not with my tax dollars.”.
Due Process
Hello, it’s been a while. I hope this post finds you in better shape than the U.S. credibility and moral standing in the world. Many of us knew a second Trump term would be bad but few of us expected it to get this bad this fast. Of all the “un-American” things Trump and the minions he has surrounded himself with have done over these past 77 days the most “un-American” of them all has to be disappearing people in the United States of America.
Regardless of immigration status the U.S. has no right to disappear someone into an El Salvadoran dungeon based on hearsay and tattoos which have nothing to do with gang membership or criminal history. Some of these people need to be brought back to the U.S. immediately so their case can be heard in a U.S. court and all of them need to be given due process before deciding if there are any among them that actually do deserve to spend the rest of their life in an awful prison.
If it turns out they aren’t violent criminals, which according to this 60 Minutes report appears to be the case for the vast majority of them, then they should at least be returned to their home country. If you agree and feel that this should not be happening in the U.S. or anywhere for that matter then please share this video and take a minute to contact the White House and your elected officials. Thank you for standing up and speaking out against this grave injustice.
Gay Venezuelan stylist sent to Salvadoran prison after a disgraced cop’s report
Assassination Attempt
Political violence is a far greater threat to democracy than a second Trump presidency. Trump needs to be beaten again at the ballot box and not by an assassin’s bullet or any other violent means. In addition to accidentally murdering someone in the crowd the would-be assassin has boosted Trump’s already good chances of being reelected because photos of a bloody and defiant Trump surrounded by secret service with Old Glory waving in the background are sure to gain him sympathy and support.
Speaking of secret service it’s a disgrace that the limited number of roofs in the area of the rally were not secured. I want to know how a 20 year-old with a rifle could outsmart the entire secret service and police detail assigned to protect Trump. It’s hard to distinguish blatant incompetence from deliberate ignorance and this overt ineptitude of the secret service is bound to lead some to believe this gaping hole in security was intentional. Regardless those who planned that security detail should be demoted or fired.
Biden was already in trouble and now he’s sure to fare even worse against a Trump who just narrowly dodged death and has the scars and photos to show for it. The best hope for the Democrats and anyone else that doesn’t want to see Trump reelected is to run an open and fair Democratic Primary before the convention because the excitement and free publicity around selecting a new generation of Democratic Party leaders will provide the best chance of keeping Trump out of the White House.
Akira Toriyama
On March 1st 2024 the great Akira Toriyama passed away while in the midst of multiple projects due to an acute subdural hematoma which is a type of bleeding near the brain. He was just 68 years old and is best known for creating the Dragon Ball series which was first published in 1984. Dragon Ball Z Kai Episodes 1-98, which originally aired between 2009 and 2011, is by far the best segment of the ongoing Dragon Ball series which has entertained and inspired generations of people around the world. I strongly recommend you watch these 98 episodes of greatness in the original Japanese audio with subtitles in your native language. Thank you Toriyama-sensei!
Never Again
Never again can we elect a president who blatantly puts themself above the constitution and country they were chosen to protect and serve and that has no qualms about incessantly lying in pursuit of personal gain. To the remaining Trump devotees: Wake up and free yourself from the cult. Wrong is wrong and unfit is unfit so dump Trump and choose a half-way decent Republican candidate. If the talent pool in your Grand Old Party is that shallow then just pick a name out of a phone book in a deep-red district and as long as they prove to be a decent or good person with average or above average cognitive skills and are willing to serve their country for 4 years then maybe I and other independent voters will vote for them as we aren’t looking forward to another 4 years of Biden either.
Happy New Year!
Abortions and Crime
Durian Season and a Kingfisher
The durians are dropping and so is the price however the named varieties like Red Prawn are still too expensive so with only a few exceptions I’ve been eating the village variety durian aka “Kampung Durian” in Malaysia or “Durian Baan” in Thailand. The price of these has fallen to around 10MYR, 80THB, or 2.30USD a kg which is considered cheap in Malaysia and is about as low of a price you will find in the city. Just be sure to check carefully for any holes otherwise you might find an unwanted guest in your durian.
Paederus dermatitis – Rove Beetle Rash
Some species of rove beetle have a potent toxin called pederin in their hemolymph, which is like insect blood, and although these ant-like beetles don’t bite or sting if you squeeze one or even wipe one off of your face or neck, perhaps while you’re asleep, you could end up with an extremely itchy and painful rash. These insects are common in Penang especially in high rise buildings. The best thing you can do is place screens on your windows because if you don’t they will be attracted to the light and fly into your home. On the bright side pederin is being researched for its potential to slow the growth of cancerous tumors which just goes to show you how much we still have to learn from all the insects, plants, and other life we are causing to go extinct before we have a chance to research it. Let’s all do a better job at wasting less and conserving more in hopes of slowing down this sixth mass extinction that we are causing.
Happy New Year
I hope your 2022 is off to a happy and healthy start!
